When Kentuckians choose their governor in November, they’ll also be deciding whether some of their neighbors can access the ballot at all in future elections.
At issue is an executive order Democratic Governor Andy Beshear issued in 2019, on his third day in office, that has restored the voting rights of at least about 180,000 people, or five percent of Kentucky’s adult population. The state constitution prohibits anyone convicted of a felony from voting for the rest of their life, but Beshear circumvented that by offering blanket restoration to most people who complete a sentence.
